Zorn: Injury won’t cost Portis starting job

“It’s funny because you feel so much better,” rookie linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “Everybody is so upbeat, everybody is excited. We can use this as momentum for the next game, but at the same time you don’t want to feel like ‘that’s it’ and lose four more. We have to keep progressing and keep moving forward.”

Said defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth: “We just got to keep it going. They always say the first win is the hardest one since we had this long drought.”

The Redskins won at Dallas and Philadelphia in consecutive weeks last year. Washington wore down both opponents, holding the ball for 38:09 against the Cowboys and 34:45 against the Eagles. Portis rushed for a combined 266 yards, but that came behind an offensive line that included proven blockers Chris Samuels, Jon Jansen and Pete Kendall.

Zorn hopes the Redskins can bottle what worked last week and take it on the road, where they’re 0-4 this year and losers of seven straight dating back to last year.

“The idea that we beat a team that was 6-2 and was a good defensive team statistically gives us confidence,” he said. “All three phases helped us win that football game.”